School holiday trout stocking
Ahead of the school holidays, 'ready-to-catch' rainbow trout are stocked into lakes around Melbourne and regional centres.
Fish stocking is funded by recreational fishing licence fees and the State Government's Go Fishing Victoria and Boating plan to get more people fishing, more often.
The rainbow trout stocked are advanced yearlings and are suitable to be caught immediately. Rainbow trout are a good option for children or those trying fishing for the first time, because they are relatively easy to catch and take a variety of baits and lures.
If casting lures, try 6lb line tied to a Tasmanian Devil, spinner (blades rotate around a metal wire) or hard-body (shaped like a minnow). Cast as far as you can and wind the lure back to you.
If bait fishing, try 6lb line and a running sinker rig. PowerBait is a dough you can buy from tackle shops or Kmart. Roll up a ball of it and push the hook through it. The end of the hook needs to be exposed and not buried in the dough. Alternatively, try a bunch of worms from the garden.
For more tips and tricks on catching fish during the school holidays, check out our instructional videos, and Little Angler Guide.
Anglers are reminded that a daily bag limit of 5 trout applies, of which only 2 can exceed 35 centimetres.
| Water | 1st Term Holidays (Easter) | 2nd Term Holidays (July) | 3rd Term Holidays (Sept) | Gone Fishing Day (October) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completed | Planned | Planned | Planned | |
| Albert Park Lake (Albert Park) | 0 | 1500 | 1500 | 0 |
| Alexandra Lake (Ararat) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Allans Flat Dredge Hole (Yackandandah) | 0 | 750 | 750 | 500 |
| Anderson Lake (Chiltern) | 0 | 0* | 500 | 0 |
| Arboretum Dam (Euroa) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Arcadia Pondage | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Bannockburn Lagoon (Bannockburn) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Bartlett Lake (Tatura) | 0 | 150 | 150 | 0 |
| Berwick Springs Estate Lake | 0 | 750 | 0 | 0 |
| Calembeen Lake (Creswick) | 0 | 0* | 200 | 0 |
| Casey Fields Lake (Cranbourne) | 0 | 150* | 750 | 750 |
| Cato Lake (Stawell) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Caulfield Racecourse Lake (Caulfield) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Cobden Lake (Cobden) | 0 | 300 | 200 | 200 |
| Coleraine Lagoon (Coleraine) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Crusoe Reservoir (Kangaroo Flat) | 0 | 450 | 450 | 0 |
| Darlingsford Lake (Melton) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| Don Lake (Healesville) | 0 | 400 | 400 | 0 |
| Dunkeld Arboretum (Dunkeld) | 0 | 0* | 200 | 0 |
Eildon Pondage Weir (Eildon) | Will receive a total of 14,000 ready-to-catch trout over the year | Will receive a total of 14,000 ready-to-catch trout over the year) | Will receive a total of 14,000 ready-to-catch trout over the year | Will receive a total of 14,000 ready-to-catch trout over the year |
| Emerald Lake (Emerald) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| Esmond Lake (Ballarat) | 0 | 350 | 250 | 0 |
| Ess Lagoon (Casterton) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 200 |
| Expedition Pass (Chewton) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Felltimber Creek Wetlands (Wodonga) | 0 | 300 | 600 | 0 |
| Ferntree Gully Quarry (Ferntree Gully) | 0 | 450 | 450 | 0 |
| Foletti Caravan Park Lake (Donald) | 0 | 350 | 350 | 0 |
| Forest Lake (Kangaroo Flat) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Garfield Lake (Garfield) | 0 | 370 | 250 | 0 |
| Glenlyon Dam (Glenlyon, Victoria) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Glenrowan Recreational Reserve Lake (Glenrowan) | 0 | 600 | 600 | 0 |
| Goldfields Reservoir (St Arnaud) | 0 | 0 | 200 | 0 |
| Golf Course Dam (Longwood) | 0 | 100 | 300 | 0 |
| Great Western Racing Recreation Reserve Lake (Great Western) | 0 | 0 | 200 | 0 |
| Guthridge Lake (Sale) | 0 | 550 | 250 | 0 |
| Haddon Reservoir (Haddon, near Ballarat) | 0 | 0* | 200 | 0 |
| Hanging Rock Lake (Woodend) | 0 | 350 | 350 | 0 |
| Heyfield Racecourse Lake (Heyfield) | 0 | 0* | 300 | 0 |
| Hyland Lake (Churchill) | 0 | 800 | 800 | 800 |
| Jack Emmett Lagoon (Rupanyup) | 0 | 0 | 350 | 0 |
| Jil Jil Lake (Donald) | 0 | 0* | 0 | 0 |
| Jubilee Lake (Daylesford) | 0 | 200 | 300 | 0 |
| Jubilee Lake (Skipton) | 0 | 100 | 200 | 0 |
| King Lake (Rutherglen) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Karkarook Lake (Moorabbin) | 0 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Kennington Reservoir (Strathdale) | 0 | 0^ | 0^ | 0 |
| Les Stone Park Lake (Wodonga) | 0 | 0* | 300 | 0 |
| Lethbridge Lake (Lethbridge) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Lilliput Lane Reserve (Pakenham) | 0 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Lillydale Lake (Lilydale) | 0 | 1000 | 1000 | 0 |
| Lismore Golf Club Dam (Lismore) | 0 | 0* | 200 | 0 |
| Marma Lake (Murtoa) | 0 | 350 | 350 | 0 |
| Marysville Lake (Marysville) | 0**** | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| Merriwa Park Lake (Wangaratta) | 0 | 0* | 200 | 0 |
| Minyip Wetlands (Minyip) | 0 | 0 | 200 | 0 |
| Mooroopna Recreation Reserve Lake (Mooroopna) | 0 | 150 | 150 | 0 |
| Morwell/Kernot Lake (Morwell) | 0** | 0** | 0** | 0** |
| Mount Beauty Pondage (Mt Beauty) | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Navan Park Lake (Melton) | 0 | 600 | 600 | 0 |
| Neangar Lake (Eaglehawk) | 0 | 500 | 300 | 0 |
| Nhill Lake (Nhill) | 0 | 0 | 200^^ | 0 |
| Numurkah Lake (Numurkah) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Nursery Reservoir (Macedon) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| Ouyen Lake (Ouyen) | 0 | 1000 | 0 | 0 |
| Old Hamilton Reservoir (Hamilton) | 0 | 400 | 200 | 0 |
| Pakenham Lake (Pakenham) | 0 | 750 | 750 | 0 |
| Pertobe Lake (Warrnambool) | 0 | 450 | 450 | 0 |
| Police Paddock Dams (Horsham) | 0 | 450 | 450 | 0 |
| Quarry Street Reserve Lake (Trentham) | 0 | 200 | 0 | 0 |
| Rainbow Lake (Rainbow) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Rokewood Reservoir (Rokewood) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Rowville Lakes (Rowville) | 0 | 550 (400 into Sutton Lake, 150 into Hill Lake)^^^ | 550 (400 into Sutton Lake, 150 into Hill Lake) | 0 |
| Roxburgh Park Lakes (McIvor Lake, Roxburgh Park) | 0 | 400 | 400 | 0 |
| Saint Augustine's Water Hole (Geelong) | 0 | 750 | 750 | 0 |
| Sambell Lake (Beechworth) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| Shadforth Reserve Island Pond (Violet Town) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Simpson Recreation Reserve Lakes (Simpson) | 0 | 0 | 300 | 0 |
| Spavin Lake (Sunbury) | 0 | 600 | 600 | 0 |
| Stanley Ditch Dam (Stanley) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| St George's Dam (Stawell) | 0 | 100 | 100 | 0 |
| Sumsion Gardens Lake (Wodonga) | 0 | 400 | 400 | 0 |
| Tchum Lake (Birchip) | 0 | 1000 | 1000 | 0 |
| Tea Tree Lake (Mortlake) | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0 |
| The Gong (Buninyong) | 0 | 300 | 200 | 0 |
| Tom Thumb Lake (Eaglehawk) | 0 | 0* | 0 | 0 |
| Tronoh Dredge Hole (Harrietville) | 0 | 400 | 400 | 0 |
| Upper Sandy Creek Dam (Sandy Creek) | 0 | 750 | 750 | 0 |
| Victoria Lake (Shepparton) | 0 | 750 | 750 | 0 |
| Victoria Lakes (Ballarat) | 0 | 500 | 500 | 0 |
| Walter J Smith Reserve (Riddells Creek) | 0 | 100 | 200 | 0 |
| Yaapeet Lake (Yaapeet) | 0 | 200 | 200 | 0 |
| Yarrambat Lake (Yarrambat) | 0 | 1000 | 1000 | 1000 |
*No stocking/less trout stocked due to poor water quality/low water levels.
** Morwell Lake cannot be stocked due to water contamination. Contact the EPA for more information
*** Not a regularly stocked family fishing lake. Fish stocked were redirected from another water.
****Dissolved oxygen low and temperatures too warm to stock Marysville Lake for Easter as planned.
^ Kennington Reservoir was not stocked as planned as it is undergoing upgrades for rec fishers, including the addition of fish habitat and access for non-powered vessels, supported by your rec fishing licence fees. Additional rainbow trout have been allocated to Crusoe Reservoir and Lake Neanger for the June/July school holidays.
^^ Will be stocked on the Monday of the first week of school holidays.
^^^ Will be stocked in the week commencing 30 June 2025, before the school holidays begin.